War
War is organized armed conflict between large groups of sentient beings. Every starfaring civilization in the history of the galaxy has prepared for it, and left behind records relating their experiences with war. Even the Enlightened Races, whose hegemony of the galaxy provided for an era of peace, experienced small-scale conflicts prior to and during this period. Interstellar warfare is an enormously complex logistical undertaking, and for the most part with very few exceptions wars throughout galactic history have been of an expeditionary nature, with mostly self-sufficient, self-replenishing task forces deployed and dispatched towards strategic objectives to carry out campaigns. This is as opposed to wars with constantly shifting fronts. Such campaigns can last anywhere from a few months to a few decades and may or may not receive the occasional reinforcement from home and updated orders if communication is at all possible or advisable. Causes While war is a universal phenomenon among advanced lifeforms, the causes of it are not always so, and change from society to society. Wars can be studied under two types: interspecies conflicts (war between separate species) and intraspecies conflicts (war between different factions of the same species). Both have different underlying causes. Interspecies conflicts Wars between different species can be the result of ideological struggle, religious war, paranoia, of economic and political disputes, internal factors, and other similar influences. It is very rare to hear about wars to compete over resources and territory - such things are in essentially infinite supply across the stars and planets of the galaxy. Occasionally a war can appear to be over resources or planets on the surface, but in reality is ultimately caused by something else. Propaganda is often responsible for this, as states may justify their wars to the population by promising them greater prosperity should they win, or take back lost territories. Ideological struggle is typically paired with paranoia. Two (or more) races with completely different ways of thinking (really, most alien races) may struggle to co-exist and see the other as a threat to its very existence and way of life. This is usually much more intense than the ideological conflicts familiar in Human history, such as that between communism and capitalism during the 20th century. Religious wars can occur and often fall under this umbrella. Economic and political disputes may emerge between different races as a result of pressure being exerted by a stronger power over a weaker power, or two strong states competing for influence among a group of smaller powers. Anger and resentment can result from foreign meddling in trade or local politics. Disadvantaged groups may seek violence as a means to address their concerns. Such is the path to wars of independence, war by proxy, or insurgencies. Internal factors can lead to war with foreign powers. The power structure of the Triple Alliance for example necessitated constant wars of conquest in order to justify itself. Without such wars the system would fall apart and the rich and powerful would lose their wealth and power. Wars between groups of the same species are far more complex - and far more common, if less large-scale and spectacular. Space warfare See also: Astrofleet Combat between starships in space is the most important theater of war, and generally the bulk of where fighting actually takes place. For obvious reasons, supremacy must be achieved in space before one can safely execute planetary assaults. Commerce and communication flows between interdependent planets entirely through space, as do the means for the enemy to produce more warships and weapons and deliver them (as well as ammunition and fuel) to their own forces. It is not uncommon for wars to end with little or no ground fighting if one side has achieved enough of a superiority in space. Over almost 200,000 years of space warfare in the Milky Way, doctrines have emerged for how best to achieve victory. Some of them are: *'Neo-Mahanian Theory': Dictates that the route to victory lies in concentrated fleet power, keeping ones' combat starships together and forcing the enemy to commit to a decisive battle. Win that battle and total domination of the space theater is guaranteed. Proponents of this doctrine advocate for the construction of large and expensive capital ships equipped primarily with lasers and coilguns to attack other capital ships, with smaller warships acting primarily as screens and support. *'Open Space Theory': Proposes that constant, small, and focused attacks against the enemy's infrastructure and lines of communication and supply are the way to victory. If the enemy cannot communicate then he cannot organize against you, making it easy to assert supremacy in space. Its proponents call for the construction of specialized frigates capable of operating alone or in small groups to launch covert raids against the enemy's shipping and destroy orbital facilities while avoiding direct combat.